Culture Vultures

A new way to get to know your city

Picture your last great vacation: What did you love most? Chances are, your fondest memories were made during unexpected outings or happy misadventures.

That’s the line of thinking behind SideTour, the New York-based start-up that serves as a concierge for offbeat outings.

Inspiration for the company came after founder and Chicago native Vipin Goyal returned from one of those enviable six-month caravans around the world, only to find that the best bits were rooted in serendipitous experiences. In an effort to recreate the excitement of so-called foreign encounters by offering city-dwellers novel excursious, SideTour was born.

Earlier this month, SideTour rolled out its first-ever Chicago experiences. Among them: chocolate-making and port-tasting with Bridgeport-based, South Asian–rooted chocolatier Uzma Sharif; a crash course in DJing with Mr. Joshua at Paris Club; and an imbibing guide to classic ’60s cocktails with mixology muse Revae Schneider. Confirmed just before SideTour’s launch is a private tasting menu and cooking history with Naha’s Carrie Nahabedian.

Most SideTour experiences fall in the range of $65 to $75 per person--less than the price of a fabulous night out--no airfare required.